Sunshine Superman [US]

• Artist: Donovan
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1966 09
• Total Time: 42:59
• Genre: Rock

Review

Paced by the title track, one of Donovan's best singles, 1966's Sunshine Superman heralded the coming psychedelic age with a new world/old world bent: several ambitious psychedelic productions and a raft of wistful folk songs. Producer Mickie Most fashioned a new sound for the Scottish folksinger, a sparse, swinging, bass-heavy style perfectly complementing Donovan's enigmatic lyrics and delightfully skewed, beatnik delivery. The two side-openers, "Sunshine Superman" and "Season of the Witch," are easily the highlights of the album; the first is the quintessential bright summer sing-along, the second a chugging eve-of-destruction tale. The rest of Sunshine Superman is filled with lengthy, abstract, repetitive folk jams, perfect for lazy summer afternoons, but more problematic when close attention is paid. Accompanied by acoustic guitar and a chamber quartet, the second track, "Legend of a Girl Child Linda," plods on for nearly seven minutes, Donovan's hippie-dippie delivery rendering "lace" into "layyyzzz." After that notable low point, he performs much better, tingling a few spines with his enunciation on the ancient-sounding folksongs "Guinevere," "Three King Fishers," and "Ferris Wheel." Elsewhere, he salutes the Jefferson Airplane on "The Fat Angel" and fellow British folkie Bert Jansch on "Bert's Blues." Donovan's songs are quite solid, but Mickie Most's insistence on extroverted productions (it would grow even more pronounced with time) resulted in a collection of songs that sound good on their own but aren't very comfortable in context. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Sunshine Superman (Lyrics)	Donovan	Donovan	(3:15)
Legend of a Girl Child Linda	Donovan	Donovan	(6:50)
Three King Fishers	Donovan	Donovan	(3:16)
Ferris Wheel	Donovan	Donovan	(4:12)
Bert's Blues (Lyrics)	Donovan	Donovan	(3:56)
Season of the Witch (Lyrics)	Donovan	Donovan	(4:56)
The Trip	Donovan	Donovan	(4:34)
Guinevere	Donovan	Donovan	(3:41)
The Fat Angel	Donovan	Donovan	(4:11)
Celeste	Donovan	Donovan	(4:08)

Credits

Donovan (Guitar (Acoustic)), Donovan (Guitar (Electric)), Donovan (Vocals), Donovan (Main Performer), Jimmy Page (Guitar (Electric)), John Cameron (Arranger), John Cameron (Keyboards), Eric Ford (Guitar (Electric)), Spike Heatley (Bass (Electric)), Mickie Most (Producer), Bobby Orr (Drums), Dick Smith (Design), A. Friend (Violin), Fast Eddie Hoh (Drums), Bobby Ray (Bass (Electric)), Vic Anesini (Mastering), Sheila Phillips (Sitar)